Rebellion Secrets
by Wolfpupaek
Summary: My name is Neesa Strabo and I am a 15 year-old Capitol teen. This year is the 50thHunger Games, also meaning the second Quarter Quell is about to take place. For 15 years of my life this has been a source of excitement, and now this has beentaken to the climax. My friends Tammi Conllinus and Limay Insula have beenthrough many events, and this will be phenomenal.
1. Summary

_My name is Neesa Strabo and I am a 15 year-old Capitol teen. This year is the 50thHunger Games, also meaning the second Quarter Quell is about to take place. For 15 years of my life this has been a source of excitement, and now this has beentaken to the climax. My friends Tammi Conllinus and Limay Insula have beenthrough many events, and this will be phenomenal._

That is what I thought 25 years ago. I did not know that somethingI would see would impact my thoughts, that I could sort out mytrue friends with my own feelings. I did not know I could make a huge differenceand have no more than a selected group know of it. Find out now. You might just find it interesting.


	2. Excitement

**So IT'S SAGE! I'm back again! Woot! Yeah, so you people know me from my first fanfic for Birthmarked and then my very short fanfic for the Blair Witch Project (which I kinda ditched XD) and now it's time for… HUNGAH GAMES! And I'm hyper, too. School starts tomorrow D:! So I guess I'll start now… woot!**

What I thought twenty-five years ago was that I was alive to see the second Quarter Quell and that I would enjoy it. I was fifteen and young. I did not know that something I would see and someone I would meet would impact my thoughts, in which I could sort out my true friends with my own feelings. I did not know I could make a huge difference and have no more than a selected group of people know of it. You should find out now. You might just find it interesting.

"Neesa! Nee-sa!" I heard my mother's high pitched voice coming from the stairwell next to my bed. It was a bad idea to put it there.

"I'm coming, mother!" I yelled back at her. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and slipped out of the soft sheets that kept my warmth. I padded over to the to the hole in the floor and lowered myself through the hole and then rushed down the stairs where a chocolate waffle with buttery cream on it waited for me at my place on the counter.

My mother's slightly pigmented skin popped against the bright yellow wall behind the stove. I ate my waffle quickly and said a muffled, "Thanks!" and bolted up the stairwell and eased myself from the whole into my floor and got changed into the clothes for school. A simple uniform, really. The Principal Horatius keeps saying that we should try to maintain the traditional attire of the old times. I wondered if the traditional uniform consisted of girls hiking their skirts up on one side, leaving it diagonal as the trend goes, and boys using their belts as hand guards for fighting. I assumed it was possible.

I pulled my sleeves up to my elbow and went to the bathroom to do my stuff. Whenever I look in the mirror I gaze proudly at my eyes, like I did now. They were a brilliant turquoise, and next to my shiny blonde hair they looked lovely. Tammi's hair is dark purple, and is always up to flirting. I don't care for it, really. Many boys gaze into my eyes when they attempt to flirt but I wave them off. Tammi doesn't understand it. But I want to get a nose operation in a year or two, when my parents will let me. It was just so _big_ and the bar to look good is set so high.

I finished and grabbed my messenger bag and walked out the door, nearly bumping into my father. He's tall, not bulky, but even so he is strong. His perfectly styled stubble and wavy hair really made him look younger. "See you later, Dad!" I said and left the house.

My house really looked like the others, a white bubble. With a hovercar I couldn't drive yet sitting patiently in the driveway.

"Neesa! Wait!" Well, I was popular. I turned around and grinned at Tammi. Her skirt was at knee's length but as soon as we would get to the school she would hitch it up a few inches.

"Tammi! By the way, I forgot to give you back your leggings. I don't find fur leggings very comfortable, mind you." I said.

'No matter. I hoped you would like them because I hate them too. I guess I can just throw them out now."

"Maybe Limay will want them? She's into eccentric things." I said as I saw a familiar figure walking across the street, under the raging hovercars. We catch up to her.

"Limay! Want some absolutely furry leggings?" Tammi yelled.

"Why would anyone wear that?" Limay wrinkles her button nose. No operation at all. But she and Tammi got KolurTech injections and their hair grows in a specific color. Tammi's curly purple mane shined. Limay actually just got hers to be a normal red/auburn. Her hair is unbelievably straight.

"It was Capitol-made!" Tammi cried out.

"Capitol-made? How much did it cost? There's a reason why things are made in District 1, you know." Limay's eyes widened. Tammi nods tearfully, not answering Limay's question..

"We're almost at the school, come on!" I pulled them along. Limay groaned.

"I have Home-Care first! Why? We have technology for this!" she complained. Tammi perked up, momentarily forgetting her wardrobe issues.

"It's half day today!" She crowed. "The Reaping!" I grinned.

"And it's a Quarter Quell!" Limay squealed. I mulled the thought in my head. How wonderful, a Quarter Quell! I'd live to see another Quarter Quell, but not in my youth. What will be in for the tributes this time?

"Are there any Hunger Games parties after?" I asked.

"Jay's just going to go to Loose & Free with some friends." Tammi responded. Jay was Tammi's brother, a year older than her, and he always had parties at this time of year. Loose & Free was a stupidly named club for teenagers, because we have to be twenty to enter the other clubs.

"Oh, fun!" When?" I asked.

"After the Tribute Ceremonies." She said.

"I have my dress. It's a tube top sewed together with a bunch of tulle and random patterns and color." Limay said.

"Slinky tops haven't been called tube tops in decades!" Tammi said. "Next you'll be saying tees instead of cut-offs and polos instead of posh shirts."

"I like vintage!" Limay protested. We arrived at school and I gave them a smile.

"See you girls at lunch hour!" I walked away to head to my first class of the day.

I skimmed through my classes buzzing with excitement and eventually lunch hour came. I was released from the captive classrooms by the bell and strode outside, where Limay waited.

"Tammi had to go home as soon as she got out. I guess since her father's a gamemaker it affects stuff like this." Limay reported. We walked to our intersection and Limay went one way and I went another. I got home to the sight of my mother sitting in front of the telescreen and a doctor and nurse wore panic-stricken faces when a bloody patient rolled into the lobby in a mess.

"Mother! Change the channel, quick! The Reaping is going to be broadcasted any minute now!" I gasped.

"Sweetheart, this is just getting good." She murmured.

"Mother! The _Reaping_!" I said again. But she just said that she would watch it later. I sighed and climbed the transparent stairs into my room. I threw my bag into a corner and booted up my computer. The clear screen bloomed color as my desktop was brought up. The wireless mouse was somewhere around the room. I located it and put it on the desk. My fingers flew as I typed in the broadcasting site for the Reaping. The little circle spun as I waited. The pre-show was in session. I left the volume on but went back downstairs quickly to grab a plate of Ansi cookies. I lumbered up the stairs again and climbed into my bedroom. I placed the plate on my desk and waited.

Ansi cookies were crispy cookies in different flavors in origami shapes. I munched on a chocolate crane's wing while I heard my father come home from work. He had a half-day too. I heard voices drifting from downstairs, my father asking multiple times if he could change the channel. My mother wouldn't budge from her hospital show because my father poked his head into my room. He didn't say anything but I got a chair from the corner of the room and put it in front of my computer. I snuggled into my jelly chair as my father sat down in the chair. I grabbed another Ansi cookie– this time a frog- just as a voice announced:

"The Reaping commences… now!"

**THANK YOU people for reading this and I'm having a ball writing this! So much fun… anyway, school's started and my schedule is going to be a bit more hectic than before, so, please be patient! Spread the word about this fanfic and yeah… bye!**


	3. The Reaping

**So I totally forgot to do a few things in the first post, so XD here we go. I do not own in any way The Hunger Games Trilogy, it's all Suzanne Collins! And for those of you who don't know, I, Sage, and posting this on my friends account due to some complications, so it's my friend's account, and my stories! Ok… back to Neesa!**

"But it's not the Reaping quite yet, is it Claudius?" Caesar commented. Claudius laughed.

"I must have gotten ahead of myself, Caesar!" he exclaimed. "That's right, ladies and gentlemen, this year is a Quarter Quell!" As he said those words, the camera switched to another broadcast involving President Snow on a stage in front of a podium, and a crowd applauding wildly in the seats below. A few minutes passed as President Snow made a speech about the Hunger Games, it's meaning, and the purpose of the Quarter Quell and those before the current one.

"Hence, the glorified quarter of the Hunger Games is like a reinforcement." he said, finishing his speech. A boy brought out a lovely wooden box with an abundance of envelopes overflowing neatly inside it. Snow drew out the envelope labeled '50' and strode back to the podium. He opened the envelope and read the card silently to himself quickly and addressed the audience next.

"On the fiftieth anniversary of the Games, with the reminder that masses can be controlled, and the Capitol is all powerful, there shall be twice the number of female and male tributes this year." The audience soaks it all in, and I gasp. Twice as many tributes! This shall be _very _interesting. I chew another Ansi cookie.

Another change in the scene and another camera is broadcasting from District 1. I jump back, startled. The Reaping started now! Caesar made some witty comment that I didn't really listen too but focused on the names being called. I sat watching as four tributes made their way up to the podium, bright smiles on their faces. Ah, the Careers! They always put up a good fight! I liked one of the girl's names, Jasmina. It sounded so lovely! And different from her companions, which consisted of Turquoise (the other girl), Cord and Prince (the boys).

But once we got past Career districts, it wasn't so exciting. Boy walked up with shining eyes and bitten lips and girls sobbed and quivered. I could help but feel some sympathy. But there were the rules, and they were there and unmovable, so I must make the most of it instead of my feelings. The tributes would get training beforehand, so they had chances, I reassured myself.

I found it interesting how District 1 was so much richer and loved by the Capitol while the last district, the twelfth, was the least taken care of, more like an afterthought. Districts 8, 9, 10 and 11 passed in a blur, I just managed to catch some of the names. As District 12's Capitol representative came up, I paid attention, because she was my favorite.

"Ladies first!" she trilled and went to the huge bowl filled with little papers. She reached in and snuck out a paper. "Adina Morfond!"

A girl with olive skin and dark hair stepped up to the stage looking down and furious at Queenie, the representative. Queenie stepped back to the bowl and pulled another paper out. "Maysilee Donner!" She quipped. Oh, Maysilee was a pretty name! As a blond girl with creamy skin walked up the steps, she paused beside Queenie and tilted the microphone toward her mouth.

"Sorry, but it's pronounced May-si-_lee_, not May-si-_lay_." She corrected and stood beside Adina, trembling. Queenie looked shocked, but collected herself.

"Yes, well, May-si-_lee_, thank you. And now, the boys!" she strutted across the stage and hastily picked a paper from the bowl. "Gunnar Overwill!" she exclaimed. A scrawny blonde boy shuffled onstage, trying not to be noticed. He won't last in the Games. Queenie picked the final paper. "Haymitch Abernathy!" A boy with black hair and handsome gray eyes walked onstage. He looked defiant, and he looked similar to Adina, so I wondered if they were related in some way. How horrible to go to the games with a member of your own family! Or your best friend! My thoughts were carried away but Haymitch was probably the most striking boy from what I've seen in District 12, and that's quite a bit.

Soon the Reaping ended. There was an after-show, but I didn't watch that part. I never had, not really. When it ended at 2 o'clock I went down to late lunch.

My mother raved about her show ending in a cliff-hanger throughout the meal. After that, I went to my room again and was done my homework at 4 o'clock and began reading a book that I haven't finished yet in a month. My celly rang. I picked it up, almost missing it completely due to its transparency but the neon case highlighted it. The user ID said it was Tammi.

"NEESA!" Tammi shrieked when I answered. I jumped.

"Tammi… hi. Please spare my ear drum." I said, laughing.

"Sorry." She said hurriedly. "I need to go shopping! We're all going to to L&F day after tomorrow."

"So you want to go after school tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yes! Yes, yes! Can you make it? Please? Limay has an appointment to check on the KolurTech thing, and you know how I need your opinions!" she rushed.

"Of course, Tammi." I replied. Shopping with Tammi was always a lot of fun.

"Perfect!" Tammi hung up. I closed the call and tried to re-concentrate on my book when my schedule alarm went off. Crud, it was actually 5 o'clock. I forgot that my in-wall clock was an hour late. I needed to fix it. Or let dad do it. But it was bath time now and I was at the good part of my book. I went into my en suite bath and turned the faucet on. I wondered how bathing in the future would be. So far the technology just consisted of wildly scented shampoos and finger sensing temperature settings. What next? Scented spray instead of body wash? Voice command water power?

I thought about it as I stepped in and rinsed my hair. I was done after a while and rubbed the mirror to rid of the vapour. My turquoise eyes flashed back. I smiled happily. The operation I wanted next was a Speckle operation. They take each of the freckles you want and implant a small glittery substance to make it sparkle. It was short, and only stung a bit after the anaesthetic wore off. My dad needed some convincing, but I think I've got it under control.

For the rest of the night I didn't do anything. I fell asleep at around nine, and dreamed of Speckles and partes.

**Hahahaha I'm in class now and guess what I just finished, making me write this to pass the time! CREATIVE WRITING PROMPTS. Which I am doing by writing this, hehe. Yeah it's not so funny now… XD Ruled comes out on Wednesday for Birthmarked fans! So… I send my blessings to you all and all the stuff! Ciao!**


	4. Shopping

**So, of course I had to add a shopping scene, because that's what you do when you're in the Capitol, other than to try to avoid people persuading you to get parts of a dog implanted on your face or getting your hair cut into a wild look. Enjoy the really wild style and since I'm only on chapter 3… this might be ending sooner than I thought. Maybe by chapter 15? Who knows… I'll try to make it book length, like, 200 pages.**

**To anonymous reviewer: thanks so much! I love getting reviews, they just make my day! I saw this video in class, and I got so many ideas for this fanfic! The video was about the technology that might be available and technology that exists but is not on the market- yet. It was great and scary!**

"Neesaaa! Tammi's here." My mother poked her head into my room. I was dressed in leisure clothes, not exactly dressed for a day out. I was completing my homework for the day when Mother announced Tammi's presence. Tammi climbed the stairs and the hole into my room and plopped down onto the bed.

"You aren't going dressed out like that, are you?" Tammi asked warily.

"Of course not." I scoffed. Tammi might as well choose my clothes for me if it mattered that much. I strode over to my closet and opened the door, an abundance of clothes protruding through every space imaginable. Most of the clothes can take up as much space as a slice of ham, but others were quite big. Tammi oohed and aahed at my recent buys and then, as I was reaching for a slinky shirt and uneven hem-line skirt, Tammi pulled out my chosen dress to wear to Loose & Free. It had halter straps and a receding neckline, like a rip, and, as Limay would say, an _empire_ waist. The skirt was my favorite part. The whole dress was a dark, royal blue, and the skirt poofed out a bit, just above my knees, and the fabric on top of the tulle was ripped and slashed, revealing a neon blue fabric that had an effect to make it look like it was wet. There were lights in the waist line that lit up in different colors when I pressed a small button.

"It's beautiful!" Tammi shrieked. "So in style…" she mused. "I for one, would prefer an over the shoulder, backless high low hem myself." She added, staring into space. I changed quickly. I adjusted my high-tech bra to make it match my skin tone and hide the adjustment clips so the slinky top would look nicer.

"You're mother's wearing that skirt from last year!" Tammi reports once we leave the bubble house. Yes, it was true about my mother, she was wearing a purposefully wrinkled, stitched skirt that popped out at the hips and then tightened above the knees.

"She's convinced it'll come back someday." I replied. "What store should we hit first?"

"How about Fri-Fri?" Tammi suggested.

"Isn't it supposed to be really expensive there?" I asked.

"Best clubbing dresses." Was all she said. So we walked on the sidewalks as the two lanes for the bikers were full with traffic. High tech bikes were wonderful, but the hovercar was always the best, in my opinion. Just swipe at the window and it automatically tints. Voice command, dashboard personalization. What's not to love?

We arrived at Fri-Fri, and my thick soles shoes felt like they were worn out to the width of a hair, but when I saw the displays I gaped. One of the very realistic mannequins was wearing an ivory water-proof material skirt with little holes at the hem. Each hole was covered with a plastic sheet and inside the sheet was a hot pink fluid resting in it. The top was a high ruffle collar with two triangular slits leading from the neckline down to almost above the chest.

"Very chic, yes?" Tammi grinned at me and entered the store.

"This… this is my absolutely favorite store starting now!" I've never seen clothes so 'in' style. Tammi was a blur, running through the racks and displays and emerged with an armful of dresses.

"You can't possibly be trying them _all_ on." I said.

"Want a bet?" Tammi's muffled voice emerged from the mound. She walked to the change rooms and I waited in a chair across from where Tammi was changing. Then she emerged with-

"Can I say you look like you went into a huge mob of balloons and didn't survive?" I said decently. Her dress' sleeves were puffed up and so was the skirt, like an umbrella.

"AHHH WHAT MONSTROSITY DID I JUST PUT ON?" she yelped and escaped behind the door again. I laughed. She appeared again, this time, an off-the-shoulder, geometrical, tight, silver dress that was impossibly short, I almost thought it was a shirt. But she looked impeccable in it.

"Get it." I said.

"But there's still so much to try on… and doesn't my butt look big?" She rubbed it and stood to the side.

"It's perfectly fine!" I said again. "Honestly Tammi, you look great."

"I guess so." She smiled a small smile. "And only…one hundred denarii. Great, I still have money for shoes. She purchased the dress and left the others in the change room, in a pile. I saw an employee strutting in her sky-high heels and make-up caked on half and inch thick with an armful of them behind us. Tammi strutted outside and began to race to the next store in sight. Coincidentally (or not) it was a shoe store. Tammi raced inside. I sighed, but followed. By the time I cleared the beaded entrance, Tammi was shoving a shoe with liquid and a small fish in the platform bit of the wedge in my face.

"Tammi, you'll break it!" I lowered the shoe, the small fish tumbling around helplessly.

"No I won't! You know why? High strength glass! Do you live under a rock or something?" Tammi said, not unkindly. The words might be harsh but her tone always begged to differ.

"Huh, maybe I do." I answered absently when I saw a pair of ruby studded heels that were four inches high. Not unusual, but it caught my eye. My favorite stone was the ruby. After my Speckle operation I wanted to get a little ruby surgically implanted somewhere on my body (wasn't sure yet where). I didn't want it near my purple tattoo, which was on my stomach, swirling up from my belly button. It tickled when I got it, I remembered.

"Pretty!" Tammi pushed passed me as she saw the same ruby shoes I was looking at. She tried one on quickly. "My ankles are too big for these." She finally reported after sashaying for five straight minutes. She glanced at my own feet. "Here." She pushed the pair of heels into my grasp. "Your turn."

"Me? Tammi, we came shopping for _you_." But nonetheless, I removed my platform shoes and slid my feet inside the heels. It was my size, obviously, Tammi and I were the same in that way, and I walked around the display in them. The foam soles inside were springy and made me feel like the heels weighed nothing.

"Fifty denarii!" Tammi sang as she skipped around me in a new pair of heels. "Get them! Actually, I'll buy them for you. Remember, I forgot your birthday present."

"Oh yeah… you did." Tammi forgot to get a present for my birthday months ago and she tried to make up for it but couldn't find the right thing.

"Only if you're sure." I said, reluctantly, handing her the shoes and snapping my boots back on.

"Positive." Tammi winked and paid for her loot.

**Hi, so how are y'all? So, haha, when I was in class doing writing prompts (yet again) I did this, but since it was too long, I started another one. I was going to delete it when I thought that maybe you might find it funny, or at least enjoy a really random short story. A **_**very **_**short story.**

Writing Prompt #20- Stuck in a bathroom on St. V's Day

"Help! Heeellllp!" I screeched for the millionth time, kicking the door with my leather boots. Bathrooms should not be located at the very back of the section of the store where the 'employees only' sign lingers. In fifteen minutes I should be in my car, driving to my friend's house. As best friends (and currently single) we decided to celebrate a best friend's version of Valentine's Day. I just got my license, when I turned sixteen two weeks ago, and I always drove slowly, trying to not scratch the car or go over speed limit. Hence, the reason to leave ahead of time. Of course, when one decides to take a bathroom break at a pharmacy bathroom, one might tend to get stuck there.

"Hello?" I yelled in vain. I tried the handle again. It was jammed. I went to the sink and splashed some water on my face. I forgot temporarily that I had mascara on and got very annoyed when it spread around my eyes, making a smoky racoon mask. I stuck my hand in my pockets and felt a lump. I took my phone out and realized that I had it all this time. "So stupid." I laughed to myself, unlocking the phone. It didn't turn on. I tried the power button. A little green battery symbol flashed, empty.

"Gah!" I crouched on the floor, my back to the wall, trying desperately not to touch anything in the not-so-clean room and stashed my phone in my vest. I looked up, and saw the light flickering. And next to the light was a panel. And next to that, two more panels. Eureka!

It was insane, but what other option did I have other than pound on the door when no one could hear me and, _if_ I got lucky, someone would need to urgently go do their business here and release me from the stinky clutches of the room. I hopped onto the sink and pushed the panel hard. It jumped and slid over. I climbed up and landed in a dusty space.

I crawled for what seemed an eternity, but came to another set of panels. I lifted open one and peeked through the roof. The cashier was on the other side, checking someone's selected objects at the register. A worker organised shelves below me. I crawled a bit more and opened a panel above a clear space. I slid my body through and let go. I landed sort of on my feet and crashed onto my side. It didn't hurt, and I made no sound except for my body mass making contact on the floor.

Now there was a hole in the roof, a panel moved. No one noticed except for a shopper, who stared. I stood up, brushed myself off and exited the building, to my car.

Just like a boss.


	5. The Ruby

**Hi so sorry for the delay and stuff, but I'm in Chicago XD and holy moly is it freezing! It's great here, and I was ON ERUDITE TERRITORY :O hehehe anyway, I'm pretty busy and I am so, so sorry for not writing enough! Please review and bear with me! Sorry it's a really short chapter btw but the next one will be nice and long!**

"Anywhere else?" I asked as Tammi stuffed her shopping bags into a bigger one, and she stood up and considered.

"Remember those mirrors that let you try on stuff?" she asked, walking to the left.

"Yeah, a few years back they had glitch, didn't they?" I fell into step beside her. "And they were removed from every store? It wasn't the first time it had happened and I remember there was an uproar-"

"They're back." Tammi cut in. "Apparently glitch free."

"And I suppose we're going to a certain store where it's being tried out?"

"Correct." Tammi grinned. "At the Divvy."

"Which part of the Divvy?" I asked. The Divvy was short for 'The Divided' which was a courtyard and series of stores divided by purpose. There was a section for shoes, accessories, clothes, home/furniture, gadgets and technology and more.

"Clothing." Tammi crossed the street and soon we were at the Divvy entrance. She barged into a random store, and rushed over to a mirror. She tapped the middle and the mirror blossomed with icons. She tapped an icon with a dress on it and pages of dress selections spurted and rolled across the screen. A dress landed right on her reflection's nose. She tapped on a geometric triangle and square hip dress that was shimmery black. It loaded and scanned her body quickly. The dress contorted into a life size, slightly transparent dress that looked like it was Tammi's reflection, even though the dress was on screen.

Tammi turned to the left and the dress moved with her. She twisted to the right. The dress stalled for a second, barely noticeable if Tammi hadn't yelled, "AHA!" she tapped the return button and smirked.

"Glitchy, glitchy." She sing-songed as she strutted out of the store again. I followed, sighing.

Tammi accompanied me home and she gestured towards my bag with the shoes inside and winked. She walked away and I closed the door. She was so weird sometimes.

I passed my parents but my mother stopped me. Right before I went into my room. My father had disappeared somewhere.

"Sweets, remember how you asked to get a gem implanted?" She leaned on the kitchen counter. I felt uneasy.

"Yes." I said simply.

"Would you like to get it today?" She smiled. My jaw dropped.

**I need to know you people won't hate me if I write a speech about the Hunger Games being… well, not really great. It's for a random speech for school, and really, everyone loves HG. But, what if I found reasons, or HG haters, or just a really big twist on perspective… it'd be interesting, right? So PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. Yay :D**


	6. The Operation

**Yo. *waz up* So before I get into class, just wanna say thanks for bearing with me and my crazy weird schedule XD. Also, homework and parents are… there. Anyway, enjoy this one!**

My jaw hung open. "Dad…?" I couldn't form a sentence. My mother smiled.

"I cleared it up with him. He's alright with it."

"When do I get to get it implanted?" Not saying what 'it' was, I touched my nose. It was the perfect spot.

"How about now?" She asked.

"_Now_?"

Five minutes later I was swiping the hovercar window wildly, nervous and excited at the same time. Mother had to tell me to stop it when I switched from sun blocker mode to all natural light in the span of one second a few times because she was getting a headache and if we all died in a hovercar crash it would be my fault and I would never get the stone implanted in the first place.

When we arrived at the surgeon's not too long after (there was no traffic) and we entered. My mother talked to a secretary with a tattoo creeping up from her chest up her neck and the side of her face. I distracted myself by reading a pamphlet on different surgeries available.

My mother sat down on a foamy orange circular chair that molded into her shape. I sat down across from her, and I heard the receptionist say something. I looked at her but she was looking at a 3D printer.

"Initiate print." She said into the little phone hooked to her ear. I heard a loud whir and a series of clicks. The bar above the tray of powder shifted back and forth. It wasn't anything new to me; I had a smaller one at home, but not as high-end.

Five minutes later, the bar stopped moving after applying the last of the adhesive and lying on the tray in the midst of powder was a hunk of metal, I was guessing that it was a mold for an operation or something.

"Neesa, Dr. Caneto is waiting." My mother called. I hadn't realized that she had stood up. I followed nervously, giddy as I stepped into the doctor's office.

Dr. Caneto sat at his desk and smiled at me. "Back so soon?"

"Not that soon if you think about it." I replied. Dr. Caneto had done my iris op.

"I hear that you wish to proceed with the operation of implanting a ruby?" he asked, taking out a thin sheet of paper. I nodded. He began to ask a series of questions, mostly about my health records, which my mother answered back like they were playing a game of Raquets.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Caneto finally asked me. I had started to zone out but nodded eagerly. He led me to a room and told me to change into an op robe. I left my clothes on a chair and a nurse with neon hair came to whisk me away to the op room. She instructed me to lay on the bed. I obeyed.

"Alright, dear, where would you like it?" She asked.

"My nose. The right side." I answered. The nurse got out a syringe and I could barely see the needle. She filled it up with something and walked over to me.

"Just a pinch." She said and before I could retort that it never was just a pinch, she was walking away, out the door. I didn't even realize she had injected me. My nose started to lose feeling, and I poked it. I couldn't feel anything.

After a few minutes, Dr. Caneto strolled in with a surgical mask and gloves. It was all very over-the-top, like I was going to have a surgery to save my life. Dr. Caneto didn't speak, but he had a ruby on a tray with a few wicked looking instruments. He told me not to speak, or move, and that if I had to breathe, then I had to do it slowly. I did so.

He murmured something and I closed my eyes. I felt and didn't feel my nose at the same time during the process. I could feel things touching it, but whether they were cold, sharp or already inside my nose I couldn't tell.

Minutes passed. I woke up from my nap to have Dr. Caneto talking to my mother and handing her something. I got out of the bed and went to the room where my clothes were. I got changed and said good-bye to the nurse and Dr. Caneto.

"Feel the difference?" My mother asked on the way home. In fact, I didn't feel much except for a slight itchy pain on my left nostril and a little weight like a stick-on diamond had been put on there. My mother handed me a little bag with a bottle of some sort of clear liquid and a bunch of Q-tips when we finally got home.

"For cleaning it." She said. "Only for the first month." I shrugged. It didn't matter what I had to do, I was so happy to get the ruby implanted. I called Tammi.

"I got the ruby implanted!" I announced.

"I don't care! Go away!" Tammie's muffled yell penetrated my overall happiness.

"Tammi?" I asked, confused.

"What? Oh sorry, Jay came into my room without asking if he could borrow my sparkly eyelashes for a project or something." Tammi sighed. "The things I put up with." I got halfway into telling her about my operation when I heard the Tammi screech.

"Get back here you, jerk!" Tammi sounded like she was running. "Ha!" I heard the phone clatter to the ground. This was all very entertaining to hear I started to laugh when I heard Tammi scolding Jay about leaving is clothes around the hallway and that karma had gotten him back from trying to steal her eyelashes a second time. I smirked.

"Who's on the phone?" I heard Jay ask. "Have they been hearing this whole time?"

"YES!" I yelled. I heard Jay swear and hang up on me. How fun it must be to have a sibling. I proceeded to do more homework until a text caught my attention.

Tribute parade day after 2morro. After party l&f right after.

-Tam

I texted back quickly:

Can't wait! All those pretty costumes 2 c… especially urs!

-N

**Hiiiii ^_^ all is well in Sage-land! What about you? I have to leave for a field trip and I won't be back for a bit so… sorry! And last week was weird and I couldn't work on this chapter so again: sorry!**


	7. Tribute Parade

**Heeeyyy! Yup Moss is ranting next to me about baseball and anime always being together… I am so excited to be writing about the tribute parade! haha so I got a DA account! Woop! Please check out my stuff! Go to and type in bookfanatic530 and you'll find my stuffies.** **Lalalalalala ok I'll just write now…**

"Neeeesaaa!" Tammi whined. "Hurry up or we'll be late!"

"Gosh, Tammi, I'm almost done!" I shoved my feet into my red heels. I teetered down the stairs and Tammi caught me before I fell.

"You look great! Now let's go." Tammi thrust my triangular coat into my face. I put it on and stepped into her family's hovercar. Jay was in the driver's seat, eyes closed.

"Hey, you." I said. "Don't drive with your eyes closed." He grunted and didn't open his eyes. I sat down next to Tammi, who had taken the seat behind Jay's and was poking him to see how long it would take to provoke him. I looked out the window. My night bag for the sleepover at Tammi's poked into my back. I stared out of the window for what felt like a minute.

"We're here!" Tammi squealed suddenly. I didn't realize I had zoned out for the duration of the ride. She scrambled out, tipping me off the car seat. I sat back up and hopped out. Jay locked the hovercar and we walked a block to the Tribute's Avenue. Some citizens were already seated. Since Tammi's father was a gamemaker, his family got front row seats. And since Tammi and I were close, this automatically included me.

"I brought Ansi cookies." Tammi brandished a bag full of them.

"I'm absolutely famished." I breathed and reached for one.

"Nuh-uh!" Tammi wrenched the bag away from my clutches. "We have to save them for the parade!"

"Please?" I asked pitifully. "Just one? Would you want me to die?" I whimpered and made big eyes at her. Tammi hesitated and opened the bag slowly.

"_One._" She said firmly. But I had already rushed a thank you and brought out the biggest one of the cookies, a sort of origami elephant from history books. I gobbled it up trunk first.

"Damn. I didn't ration." I said dumbly after wiping my face with my hand savagely. Tammi hid the cookies in her purse and put the purse under her seat.

"Don't even think about it. Good riddance, anyway." Tammi smirked as music started to play. A man started to speak and I zoned out for the second time that day. Then, the music blared louder

The first chariot rolled out. I gasped. The designer for District 1 must have really put an effort into this year's parade. The male and female tributes were covered in gold, head to toe. Golden freckles, golden nails, golden hair, even golden eyes. The female tribute waved and smiled coyly to the audience. I knew many would be placing bets on her, just for looks.

Once the audience has the once-over the second chariot rolled out. I nearly laughed out loud, seeing that the outfits consisted of block-like edges, texturized and colored like bricks. The same happened for chariots 3, which was electricity, consisted of lots of lights (kind of blinding) and chariot 4, the fishing district had lots of coral and turquoise. Chariots 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 were very boring, as always. Most people forget what they _do_ there in those districts. I could recite them from memory, though. I found them fascinating sometimes. Starting from 5 and ending at 10, there was power, transportation, lumber, textiles, grain and livestock.

Finally, chariot 11, for agriculture, carried a boy with lots of green and yellow colors and edges, and a girl with a maize crown, and a dress with sky blue patterns and shimmery material. And then chariot 12 came out.

The designers stuck to the black apparel and the oily, sooty look this year. For some reason, this was the only district in which I remembered both tributes' names. The girl named Maysilee timidly looked at the audience at first, until the boy, I think his name was Haymitch, murmured something to her and she lifted her chin up and stared defiantly into the crowd. Haymitch's pose was more like,_ I want to kill you all even if I die first_. Most likely he will die in the arena, obviously. Too bad, Haymitch.

I think the audience must have been bored by a dismal finale, but some people (including me and Tammi) cheered and yelled random things. In fact, Tammi once yelled "RANDOM THINGS! YEAH!" just as people began to leave. Tammi jumped up, grabbed Jay's arm and mine and dragged us back to the hovercar.

"Let's go go go go!" Tammi wriggled in her seat. I grabbed her shoulders.

"Tammi how old are you?" I asked.

"Fifteen, silly." She giggled.

"You're acting like you're ten. And whatever caffeinated drink or food you had this morning, don't have it again. You're like a faulty Shuffle chair."

"Double that!" Jay yelled from the driver's seat. He pulled the car out from "Park" and we proceeded to go to the club.

**Now, before you kill me for taking too long to write this… I was sick while writing 2 pages for this chapter when *oops* I wrote 2 pages for THE WRONG CHAPTER. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I thought I had written about the parade and proceed to write about fizz drinks and annoying boys. Then I realized my mistake. *sigh* So here I am… oh for those who read **_**The Selection**_** by Kiera Cass, it's gonna be a TV show on CWTV. Now, if you don't live in the USA (like me) then I'm pretty sure that it'll be broadcasted on another channel or uploaded on the TV website. Sayonara!**


	8. L and F

**No author's note this time. I have nothing to say to you people.**

"We're here! YAY!" Tammi shook my shoulder, interrupting the game I was playing on my tablet. The little cartoon figure fell and a big X flashed across my screen.

"Great!" I said, not really paying attention. It was an accomplishment because now that I was actually paying attention I couldn't take my eyes off the thrumming lights and throbbing building. Music pounded into the street, though just barely. The sound-proof walls really worked.

"Squee!" Tammi raced in, leaving the hovercar door open. Jay smirked and waited for me to hop out before he secured the car. Tammi had checked in her coat but waited for us, quivering with excitement. Jay didn't have a jacket so he just walked past the beaded curtain, where music oozed into every corner. It was impossible to hear the beat and not tap your feet.

"Tammi, it's not like we've never been here." I told her as I left my coat with Tammi's. We stepped through the curtain. Lights flashed like they were actually dancing.

"It's not that, it's that really hot boy over there!" Tammi pointed and giggled. I rolled my eyes but looked at the general direction of where her finger was pointing. I didn't see who she was looking at because she dropped her hand quickly and yelled, "Limay!"

I smiled as Limay walked toward us. Her dress was beautiful. It was turquoise with (vintage) off-the-shoulder sleeves. The small hem of her dress was pleated and covered in tulle, unlike Tammi's.

"Drink?" Limay brought us over to the bar. We sat on the stools while we ordered our Fizzies (non-alcoholic, of course). When they arrived, Tammi grabbed hers and scampered away to meet some boys. Limay and I chatted but then we were invited to dance by Tammi and a group of guys she must have picked up. That girl was magical. I declined, but Limay hopped off her stool and strode over to the dance floor. I flipped my hair into a bun.

I somehow liked being blanketed by the music and sounds of laughter and whoops of excitement. I swished my drink in its swirly glass. The liquid went to the bottom of the stem. The bubbles surfaced abundantly.

"This is a first." A male voice commented next to me. I snapped my head to my right and glared.

"Do you find glasses fascinating?" The boy asked, like he really wanted to know.

"Sure I do." I deadpanned. I drained the last of my Fizzie. I looked at the boy again. He had very red hair, almost like a burnt brown that was long but didn't go past his ears. I found hair like that attractive, actually. His eyes were a deep green. There were so many different colored flecks in the irises. He looked about my age. He ordered a Fizzie and chugged.

"Really? What's your name?" He asked, setting down the glass. He had handsome features, well placed. I wondered if he had ops, and how many.

"What's yours?" I countered. I had no intention of telling him my name.

"It's quite embarrassing." He said seriously. "My last name is Torneo."

"My last name is Strabo." I blushed because it sounded weird.

"Now that we have covered that area of names, Neesa, I think you should know my first name is Sparc." I was about to ask why his name was so strange when I realized he used my name, even though I didn't tell him.

"Are you a STALKER?" I hissed not too quietly. Sparc laughed.

"Your friend with purple hair has a loud voice." He said.

"Hmph." I sniffed. "And your name, _Sparc_. May I ask why it is so strange?"

"My mother named me after Spartacus." He proclaimed. "He led a rebellion or something. I don't know, I just remember he did something important." He blushed. "My mother wanted me to be important. She just named me 'Sparc' because the original name had too many syllables."

I wrinkled my nose. He may only tell this story to girls he wanted to smooch off with. "Good riddance, the original sounds like 'Spare us'." I said cattily. "Just saying."

"You were just saying." Sparc was about to laugh. I could tell.

"So did you do anything important?" I asked, just because this was a very interesting conversation. Sparc frowned.

"I guess you could say I did."

"You _guess_?"

"Yeah." He looked at the bar surface. "How many ops have you had?" He asked abruptly. I was taken aback.

"Um, two." I said. "But I want another for a tattoo."

"Really? I could have sworn you had four." He looked startled.

"No. One for my eyes and one for my ruby."

"I thought there was for your hair and mouth." He admitted.

"My hair? That's natural. So is my mouth." I said awkwardly. "What ops have you had?"

"None. I don't believe in altering one's body." He looked straight ahead.

"_None_?!_" _I gasped. "That can't be true."

"What, am I unbelievably attractive?" He smirked and smiled smugly. I wanted to slap him. Instead I settled for a glare. He just laughed.

"Good bye, Neesa. I hope to see you soon." He left, leaving his Fizzie. I shuddered because of the way he spoke.

"I doubt you'll see me- ever!" I yelled at his back.

**Oooohh it's Christmas! So, now I have stuff you say to you! It took me 3 days to write this, while the previous took AGES. I wonder how many lovely readers I have… hm. Would you bother leaving a comment? *cheesy smile* No? Alright then, as long as you read. Ta! Woah, why am I suddeny British?**


	9. Tammi's House

**So sorry guys D: I'm just really not inspired and I'm like Sisyphus and that rock. Except I'm Sisyphus and school is the rock. Or like Atlas holding up the sky…Yeah I'm bored. Ta! When I hear them 808 drums it's got me singin' Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey… Madonna is catchy.**

Tammi clapped once. The lights in her room dimmed. "Room: Up 5 degrees, please." She commanded. A little _dink_ rang out.

"I've always loved your room." I grinned.

"Just wait!" Tammi turned to the wall behind her mini telescreen. "Music: Static playlist. Low." From the little holes in the wall, low music with wobbles and electrical drops reached my ears.

"What should we do? We have_ so _much time." I asked.

"How about the latest vid game? In 3-D?" Tammi winked and stood up.

"Why did you just wink at me?" I asked. Tammi just did it again. She got weird after a few fizzies, like the sugar had begun to rot her brain.

She set up the vid game and she tested the motion detector with her arm, standing where I was now. I did the same. The game welcomed us with a _ping_ and a list of game options popped up.

"Dance, battle or sports?" Tammi asked. I tested the motion sensor and I saw a little green 2 and a bubble floating around where I was pointing. I didn't know what to choose so I turned in a circle and waved my arm randomly, and I flicked my fingers to tell the sensor that I was selecting and I opened my eyes and double-flicked where my bubble was. I had chosen a dance game.

"This is your inner-self telling you that you need to actually DANCE!" Tammi laughed. She designated a song and the screen faded out. Instructions on the beginning sequence of the song rolled across the screen. Tammi and I danced for who knows how long, and I kept getting distracted by her massive lava lamp perched near the door.

"You won! How did you do that?" Tammi said, shocked as the last round finished.

"Hm, I don't know… maybe I just danced?" I said. I was pretty shocked too. I didn't have time to dwell on it because Tammi had choose a battle game this time. It was the latest edition of a Hunger Games vid game. You got to choose your own arena, your allies, and you get the best weapons. I jumped up and down to get ready. Tammi chose the account and I chose the type of arena (a place covered in ice and snow labeled 'Tundra') and the games started.

We were each on a sled, the 22 other tributes random faces the game projected while I could see Tammi on the other side of the circle. Half of the screen was split down the middle and I glanced at Tammi's side. I saw myself looking to the side, which I had to do to see Tammi's side. The countdown started from 10 and I readied myself. As the gong rang out the seld collapsed, and I ran in place furiously, and Virtual Me approached a series of little packs. I realized that the only thing keeping this from being horribly real was that there was a screen in between me and everything on it. I shook the thought out of my head and kept running in place and swiped my hand down. On the screen I had picked up a little pack. The computerized tributes started to kill each other with ice picks and axes. I saw one of them, a girl with red curls, throw a knife at me. I ducked and so did Virtual Me. The knife planted itself in a boy behind me. I winced at the fake blood that poured out of his face as he slumped to the ground.

Tammi laughed, "Nice! Look at all that blood!" I smiled weakly. I knew this was fake, digital, but it felt weird to kill people anyhow. I liked the exercise, though. Tammi and I ran together to the north, Tammi slightly ahead of me. I stopped when I saw a blurry pixelated blob approaching.

"Tammi! Watch out!" I yelled as I moved out of the way.

Tammi said, "Huh?" and was mauled by what turned out to be a massive penguin with razor sharp teeth. Tammi's side of the screen enlarged as Tami fell, taken aback by the random jump. So did her figure on screen, the penguin tore into her neck, blood spurting everywhere. Tammi giggled and said, "Good job! You won!" The screen flashed pink and my avatar stood there. YOU WON it read in big letters.

_No crike, Sherlock._ I thought sarcastically. It was an expression used often, but no one I knew, not even my parents, knew who or what Sherlock was. And we always covered "crike" with something else when around adults.

"Yeah, I won, but do you realize you're giggling because you got ripped to shreds?" I sat down on her bed pod.

Tammi shrugged. "It's not real. Once it's real, I won't laugh." Then she looked at me and blushed. "By the way… do you have that guy's number? The one you were talking to at L & F?" she asked.

"No. And if you do find him again, don't talk to him. He's weird." I shivered. I liked him as a person to ask for direction, but I wouldn't want to talk to him again if the conversation was going to be a flirting fest again.

"I can't believe you didn't get his number. Not even his tablet username?" Tammi looked at me as though _I_ had been the one ripping her throat out.

"Can we not talk about him?" I asked. "Why are you so obsessed with him, anyway? You haven't talked to him yet."

"He's got you on edge I see…" Tammi observed. "Want to go bother Jay? He has a friend over too, so it could be fun."

"What do you plan on doing?"

"Dressing up in revealing clothing and walking down the hall." Tammi twirled a lock of hair around her finger, looking ditzy.

"NO!"

"Fine… want to play on the Mat?" Tammi asked, dragging out the flimsy Mat. She rolled it out and it a black textured screen stared up at me. She tapped her foot on the side and it buzzed to life. Icons flashed upon the screen. It looked familiar, but I've never seen Tammi's Mat before. Or any, for that matter.

Then I realized something.

My life was full of the same things. Same icons, same screen, same formation. Same techno-music, same bedpod style. And the only thing that kept me from the redundant world were Tammi, with her small rule breaking personality, and Limay, who loved anything that was not in.

And also the boy who did not have a single thin scalpel, tattoo needle or op machine touch his body.

**DUN DUN DUN! No cliffhangers for yaz! Well, it depends on what you feel right now… anyway, I'm back to life after being sooo uninspired and robotic. I missed writing stuff that I wanted to write, the way I wanted to write it!**


	10. Meeting

**Listening to Vamos A La Playa! Yay! :D I'm mentally hyper and bored at the same time… my eyes hurt . so I'm going to read The Help… lala I want to see the movie Mama! Mama…mama… And wow I don't think I've rambled so randomly in a while.**

**Also, heads up, thank you soooo much for commenting! My cheesy smile really does work!**

The next day after the sleepover I ate lunch at home but then I left the house for some alone time. I walked down streets I've never walked down before and turned away from my usual route. I couldn't ever get lost because of the looming skyscraper that was always visible even though it was downtown and it was always to the north. Surprisingly I saw a lot of my classmates and school peers around wherever I went.

So, in the event of things, it wasn't surprising when I came across Sparc a week later.

"Are you always breaking your promises?" was the first thing he asked me when he caught me staring at him. It was weird: if anyone else had said that they would have smirked or evilly grinned. But not Sparc; he said it like we were old friends.

"What happened to 'hello'?" I huffed. I still didn't like him that much, and I had no idea what promise he met.

"Hello is overrated," came the response.

"Ok." I said coolly. I moved to walk past him. "And I don't remember that promise."

"You promised that I would never see you again," he called out, even though I was already walking away. I suddenly remembered that I _did_ make a vow like that. I stopped and turned around. I could vaguely see his face, even though I was kind of far away.

"Yeah, maybe I break all of my promises!" I yelled to him, not budging.

"Then do you vow never to see me again?" He answered. I squinted at him.

"No! Stop making cryptic comments!" I yelled, stamping my foot.

"SHUT UP!" someone leaning out of a window yelled from one of the houses.

"SORRY!" Sparc yelled back.

"SHUUUT! UUUP!" the person leaning out of the window crept back inside and slammed the window.

"Ugh." I said. I walked back to Sparc with just enough distance so we could speak at normal volume.

"You think I make cryptic comments?" Sparc laughed. Again, what could have been a catty remark was a real question. Sparc had that sort of… quirk, in a way.

"Yes! I think you do." I turned around, planning to really walk away this time.

"Watch out!"

The warning came too late. I had already careened into a pole. I shrieked and immediately reached for my nose and cheekbone. A thin trickle of blood fell from one nostril and by my mouth, dripping onto my shirt. My cheek felt like it was bleeding too. The pole hit the side of my nose without the ruby, but it still hurt. Sparc was by my side in an instant and handed me a tissue.

"Ah! Get away from me!" I stepped away. I sat down at the base of the pole and held the tissue to my nose. I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, you just got attacked by a pole. It must be very hard to deal with," he deadpanned. Then he shoved his hands in his pocket and his face changed. "Do… you need anything else?"

I looked up, surprised. "Um, no thanks." I stood up woozily. "You know, you're nicer than I thought." I mentally slapped myself. I sensed a mood change the second I had hit my head on the pole, but not like… _this._

Sparc must have been thinking the same thing because he said, "You must have hit your head, too." He sat down next to me.

"I'm fine. I just have random spurts of kindness sometimes. Like yesterday, right after kicking a small dog I gave all of my money to support the Hunger Games." I laughed. This time, Sparc did not hide his emotions. He looked very surprised, in fact.

"What? I was joking! I would never kick small dogs!" I babbled.

"No, it's not that. I just didn't know you like the Hunger Games."

"It starts tomorrow. I like the pre- bits, like the parade and the reaping and the interviews. Last night, did you see that girl from District 12 that Caesar interviewed? Her dress was divine! Not that you'd care, since none of the boys I know care about the dresses. Just the fighting. But it's so bloody… and they bet on the tributes, too! That's the only part I don't really like. Blood and betting."

Sparc nodded throughout my little speech. By the end my words were becoming clogged because the blood was doing that to my nose. So the last part became "Blot and beddink."

"I don't like it at all." He whispered. The breath I was releasing through my nose slowly hitched and I gasped. I looked around for peacekeepers. I turned to Sparc.

"You can't say that! The peacekeepers will get mad!"

"But, look, your reaction. You shouldn't be afraid of your government and the way you think or speak." Sparc said seriously. I trembled.

"I am NOT afraid. The president wants what's best for the Capitol! And I'm happy living like I am."

"You like living with privileges that only certain people can have?" Sparc's voice was changing, and his eyes were, too, like concrete drying up.

"What do you mean? We all have access to hovercars and tablets and telescreens." I asked.

"No. There are people who _don't _have those things."

"Do you mean the people in prison? They deserve to be there. They kill people!" I shook his shoulder.

"Half of those prisoners spoke their mind and were punished for having their so-called freedom. And the others were never seen again." Sparc looked away.

"But… wait you said you lived with your mother. Your father…?"

"Is gone. But he left me one thing. He told me about a group. Top secret. This group showed me that those people outside the districts live in misery." At this I jumped up. How dare he insult the Capitol!? I swayed and my head pounded from standing up too quickly.

"Crike! District 1 and 2 are fine! The rest should be!"

"No, they are not!"

"Why are you telling me this? Is this group even real? Don't burden me with political problems I don't care about!"

"You should care because your future is going to be hell if you don't get your head out of the clouds. I thought you would understand!"

"You wanted to _recruit_ me?!" I said furiously. "You know I have fight, and you want me to… to…." I choked on the word, and it came out as a whisper. "_Rebel?"_

"Yes. Exactly that."

"I thought you were following me around because you liked me! Well, now I don't have to worry about that! I'm leaving!" I stormed away from the pole, hoping to leave a thundering residue of my presence as I made my way back home.

I didn't hear him when he murmured, "That too."

**:D I LOVE WRITING!**


	11. Gray

**Ugh School is so stesffil! I can't even spell "stressful"! Well, now I can, but REALLY? Rantrantrantrantrant I'm ranting! Nyan! Mau! Meow! Mew! I'm reading Animal Farm… actually no, I finished it and we're analyzing it in class. Governments will eventually go bad! Mwahaha! No I should not be laughing… not at all. You guys don't wanna hear this… Let's get writing! That's more for me, but whatever :D**

"But he's so handsome! How could you make him mad?!" Tammi lectured.

"If you want him so bad, _you_ go and marry him! In your head you practically are." I punched my pillow. Tammi had come over to my house after I let the fight Sparc and I had slip while I was on the phone with Tammi. And Tammi needed support so she brought Limay along, too. My nose was still swollen and I put a MediPak on it to cool it and bring down the swelling.

"Yeah, Tammi, if you're going to fall for a guy because he's good looking, then I am very scared for you." Limay added. By now it was evident that Tammi's plan to turn me around was backfiring.

"No." Tammi said. "I have Quen, remember?"

"Oh yes, we totally forgot how in love with your own boyfriend you are." I said snarcastically. **(that means Snarky + Sarcastic)**

"Neesa, please, just give him another chance." She pleaded. I unleashed a suspicious glare.

"You gave him my phone number, didn't you?" I asked, not very angry, just tired and annoyed.

"Er… and your tablet username…" Tammi blushed. I sighed. As though on cue, my tablet chirped like a jabberjay. I logged in with the fingerscan passcode and saw that the message was from Sparc.

"If we weren't friends I might consider killing you." I growled. I liked to have fun, and I liked to doll up with makeup and I love my eyes, but any boy who is going to smooch me has to pass my mental test. Sparc only got past 50% of that mental test. Tammi snatched my tablet and read the message aloud.

"It says 'Turn on channel 5 and you'll see what I mean'. He's a mysterious one, isn't he?" Tammi turned the telescreen on and flipped to channel 5. I was so nervous because if he was trying to prove something to me from yesterday's argument, it was going to be bad. Limay was blocking my view but I could see her wince and Tammi hitched her breath. I moved up front. It was a replay of the past Hunger Games (a marathon to kick off this year's Quarter Quell) when the tributes were in a dry, dry desert with sand that was poisonous to get into your eyes. I wasn't allowed to watch the Games until I was about 7 years old. Tammi has seen then ever since she can remember.

"Oh-" The words didn't come out. I had forgotten about this scene. _No, not a scene._ This moment in time, real life while I was eating cheese pops and I spit them out last year when this boy was killed.

We stayed silent while we watched the only part when the crowd didn't cheer in the streets last year. The boy's corpse was being pecked by vulture mutations and the sand that had gotten into his eyes when his opponent held his face down in the sand turned black with the redish purple blood pouring out of his eyes. The mutations were hungry eating the boy's flesh with massive teeth. Then the camera changed to a group fighting each other. I think that the boy with the mutations wasn't supposed to be aired. Or maybe it was, because after all, it was the Hunger Games. No guts, no glory.

My tablet beeped again. Happy for distraction, I looked at the screen. I read the message and jumped up. "I need to go."

"Did he threaten you?" Limay shrieked at the same time Tammi widened her eyes and whispered, "He must be magical."

"Tammi, utter another word about magical men and I will- I'll… do something to your purple locks!" I threatened weakly but my voice was strong. Tammi just grinned and as I left the room she yelled, "Don't forget your jacket!"

I walked down the bare sidewalks. Everyone was inside their homes or bars, ready to bet and ready for the Games to start. School had finished on Friday, because the schools know that no one really pays attention during the duration of the annual Hunger Games. Especially since this year was a Quarter Quell.

I walked for about 15 minutes and in my peripheral vision the buildings turned from pristine white and bright blue to grey. Dark grey, blue grey, pink grey. There was too much grey in this place. I turned to the park and waited by the pole that I had crashed into earlier today. I still had the MediPak up to my nose. The light was different. The sun was behind me instead of above me.

I was busy wondering when Tammi had given Sparc my contact information when I heard a voice behind me say, "Did I tell you hello is overrated?"

"You know you did." I replied. "Why do you always approach me from behind?" I sighed when I saw Sparc.

"Because I'm usually headed one way and it's always behind you." His voice had no spark. _Ha ha, I make great puns_ I thought.

"Please don't carry lethal weapons behind me, then. Who knows if you might be hostile one day?" I said to lighten the mood, which I was not good at.

"Listen-" I started because now I felt guilty about making him mad. I should be the one who should be mad, but Sparc was a great person to fight with. At the same time he said, "I'm sorry." I stayed silent.

"I'm sorry I asked you to do something you obviously didn't want to do and I got angry afterward." His eyes softened when I glared at him with a face that read, _Don't you dare make me feel guilty but I'm going to do it anyway._

"Fine. I accept your apology. If you want… I can go join the group you're in or go to one meeting… just one, mind you. And I go on the condition that I can leave whenever I want and/or never return." I declared haughtily. He grinned with such happiness that I dropped my killer gaze. I gasped.

"You're using your smarts to make me go, aren't you!? You use people! I bet you do! And you're too smart! Go away!" I sputtered.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." Sparc stopped grinning but still half smiled. He put up his hands in resignation.

"When?" I sighed.

"In two days." He told me. "At night, when they don't air the Hunger Games."

"At 2 in the morning?" I asked incredulously.

"Yup. See you there." He turned and walked away.

"H-hey! Where? You never told me where!" I ran to catch up to him and put my hand on his shoulder to stop him. His muscles tensed and I immediately dropped my hand. _I get the hint, _I thought. I was not ignorant. But what was that zappy feeling in my hand? I shook it off. Sparc turned around.

"I'll meet you outside your house at 2 o'clock sharp." Then he turned back around and sauntered away.

"You'd better be, 'cause I'm not waiting a minute after that! I'll be asleep!" I cried out after him.

**I love library time at school. It's so awesome. Oohhh I can't wait until Kokoro is next on my playlist… ugh listening to music on my laptop drains the battery so I need to charge it every so often when I listen to music. I hate essays. Do you hate essays? If so, clap if you believe in hating essays! (copyright the "clap if you believe in faeries" thing)**


	12. Waiting

**IT'S BEEN OVER 4 WEEKS GUYS WHAT THE HADES. I am sooooooo sorry *sob*. Good news: March Break is nigh *cough* it's over now, and my story got chosen to represent my age group for my school :D I won't find out if I won anything until April 20th, though… **

For the past 2 days I lay on the couch, staring at the telescreen. For the first day, all of the citizens of The Capitol were seated in front of a screen, one way or another. That year the gamemakers really put in a lot of effort. The arena was designed as a paradise, bright flowers, green grass, and clear blue water. My eyes couldn't believe it, and I doubt the tributes could, either.

When they all came up at the same time, one or two of them actually did double takes, they were so shocked. The Careers were calculating their surroundings, opponents and the center of the circle of tributes, which was filled with scattered weapons and bulky sacks.

The countdown began above the tributes. I saw one girl of about twelve crying, and the tributes that were not Careers were all tensing and preparing to run for their lives. Things were tense in my household, too. Mother dropped tripped twice while trying to rush over to her seat in the living room and I hugged my legs to my chest, just waiting.

5…

4…

3…

2…

…Silence…

…1

The gong rang out; its sound deep and demanding. The tributes were already jumping, leaping and killing- a lot. I stopped eating the snack I was stuffing my face with when the tributes dispersed five minutes later and the cameras took a few seconds to span over the bodies. Blood was everywhere, limbs were mangled and still eyes were wide open and brimming with terror.

That day was when it was evident the whole arena was a death trap: poisonous water, live plants and birds that would skewer you without hesitation.

More than eighteen tributes died that day.

That night I took into consideration what Sparc had said to me. I couldn't sleep, so I rolled and rolled around my bed, trying to go to sleep.

The next day was the same, but there were fewer deaths. Many cameras were trained onto a single fight or death at a time, every angle available. The Career pack was killed from a volcano disguised as a sleepy peaceful mountain. Three Careers remained farther away, and stumbled across the boy from District 12.

He killed them, and left us all open-mouthed, but the third was killed by the girl from his own District. He formed an alliance with her and two other pairs were formed in the arena. I had just finished watching a girl with a mace kill the girl from district 7, when I walked to my room to prepare to meet Sparc.

I changed into my most sensible dark clothes and yelled down to my parents, "G'night! I'm going to bed!" and sat on my bed playing a game on my tablet. I waited until it was 2 am and looked out my window. Sparc was already there. I sighed in reluctance and crept downstairs. My parents were asleep. The Games must not have been very interesting at night. I opened the front door and snuck out to the back.

"You really are a stalker." I said as I walked up to him. How did he know my window faced the back of the house?

"What ever happened to 'hello'?" He asked, grinning.

"Hello is overrated." I shot back, repeating his words.

"Let's go." He walked up to the front of my house and walked to the left, headed downtown.

"We're walking downtown?" I asked. "It's so dark out."

"No peacekeeper's are out here. And where we're going is safe." He replied. I sighed and trailed behind him, dragging my feet so they made scuffing noises against the pavement.

About five minutes later we approached a big building with an equally big door requiring an entrance code. Sparc quickly typed in a few numbers I couldn't see and the door opened, a sliver of light disturbing the dark of night.

Sparc stepped inside quickly, motioning for me to do the same. I hesitated as if time has frozen, but I walked in. He shut the door quickly behind me.

We were in a white hallway, but it was very dark. Sparc took me by the wrist and said, "Watch your step," while he led me around the building.

I only realized what he meant when I didn't watch my step and nearly killed both of us by toppling down a set of stairs.

"Sorry!" I squeaked, finding my footing clumsily, thinking about how foolish I must have looked if the lights were on.

A few minutes later we stopped in front of the door marked "Employees Only". Sparc knocked a rhythm on the imposing door, the sound of which I found to be similar to a song, but not quite.

The door did not budge. Sparc knocked again, more insistent.

After what seemed like very slow seconds, the door opened a bit. "Sorry, man, we got freaked out, 'cause, you know, you're late," a girl's drowsy voice broke the silence. The door opened wider and a girl with extremely long, butt-length hair pulled us in, and shut the door.

Secretive, much? I thought, and shortly after I noticed the girl's feet. She wore no shoes, not even socks, which I found very puzzling. The girl gaped at me and looked me up and down.

"Dude! You never told us you were bringing fresh meat!" She hissed at Sparc. Her eyes flit back and forth between us. He sighed, as though he had expected. I also noticed her use of "us" and turned around, absorbing the sight of couches, jellychairs, and carpets. And seated on the furniture, were many people staring at me the same way the girl was.

"Vee, she can be trusted," he said. Vee did not look impressed. She had her arms crossed.

"Man…you'll get us all killed! Or worse," she glared at him.

"There is something worse than death?" Sparc asked with a wry smile on his face.

Vee sighed impatiently. I looked back at the others behind us. They seemed to have gotten over their shock. Vee was the one who remained a blocking wall of resistance.

"Girl, if you so much as whisper about what happens here to your dog, or your fish, I'll…" Vee stopped, thinking about what to say next. "Nah. I won't do anything. The Peacekeepers always take care of things much better than I ever could." Vee walked back to the arrangement of furniture in a silent storm of rage and slumped onto a couch, next to a guy who looked asleep.

"Might as well sit down." Sparc muttered. I placed myself on a jelly chair, but didn't make myself comfortable. I waited for something to happen, for someone to speak.

Sorry this chapter's kinda short, but I need to let you guys know that I am alive, my laptop's alive, and that this story is alive. Oh, and that Moss is alive, so she can post this on the thingy.

I'm going to make a vow, right now:

I, Sage, as the writer of this story, make this vow without jest or mockery alike. No more than a fortnight shall pass before a chapter is posted on the site FanFiction, and if I was so cruel as to shatter the meaning such words, I must have a proper reason as to why I cannot written with mirth, care and time.

Basically, no more than 2 weeks will go by without a story, and if that happens, I'd better have a good excuse.

As Lysander said "Amen, amen to that fair prayer, say I."


	13. That Night

**Hey guys! :3 I'm writing! Yay! So, I'm going to brag and gloat right now because I AM GOING TO ANIME NORTH YAHOOOOOOTIE! Oh yeah, uh huh… *skips around the room***

**Bragging time is over now *crosses arms* I hope that life is being good to you all, and so on and so forth and what have you.**

**I was rereading chapter 11 and I realized that even after editing God knows how many times, I HAVE TYPOS. I get so annoyed at myself -_- because I can't really do anything about it, because you've all read it.**

**Anyway, enjoy Neesa's random adventures :P. The drama comes soon! But for some reason my chapters and stories are so short D: so I guess there's only going to be about 10 more chapters, including the absolutely fabulous epilogue… :D.**

No one moved for a moment.

"I found a trustworthy Peacekeeper." A boy with half black and half white hair announced, splintering the heavy silence.

"Dude, you're kidding. You must be. Yeah, you are," Vee stared at the boy, deciding that he was indeed kidding.

The boy shook his head. "It's true. My brother's friend's uncle is one; I know for sure that he'll help us."

"And your five times removed cousin's niece's husband's brother has a friend who has a friend who has another friend who's a Gamemaker willing to help us?" Vee shot back, her drowsy voice fading away and being replaced with a more punctuated tone.

"Stop being cynical, Vee. Jeez." A tiny girl with fiery hair sighed.

"Hm, Gina, let me think about that. I kind of don't want to _die_, ya know?" Vee snarled.

"Are there worse things than dying?" The boy who spoke first asked.

"Laz, that's my line," Sparc said.

"It's a good line," Laz stated seriously.

"Thank you," Sparc nodded. Then he said to me: "Every meeting is pretty much like this, but eventually we get stuff done."

"What stuff?" I asked.

"… Can I really trust you?" He asked, but he didn't say it harshly or doubtfully. I could tell that he wanted very badly for me to say yes.

"Yes," I answered in candor. "I'll take it to the grave."

"That might probably happen. Just so you know," Sparc grimaced.

"I repeat: What stuff?" I wanted to know exactly what was going on. Sparc didn't have time to answer me because Vee stood up and screeched.

"Be that way!" She said lamely while she grabbed her hair in distress. Many voices layered over each other, weaving together until it was just noise, noise, noise.

"Shut it!" I stood up. I walked up to Vee. "You, sit down!" I motioned fiercely. She slumped down, her mouth moving and releasing croaks of protest.

"Right," I put my hands on my hips. I was _mad_. "Be quiet, and for crying out loud, Vee, get some flippin' _shoes_ on! I'm here, like Sparc told me to be, at two in the flippin' morning and now I am going to know why I'm standing here and why you people decide to sneak downtown at night!" I spat. This was a side of me that I had rarely seen before. The last time I was like that was in the second grade when Demetrius Wesnor ruined my project on the twelve Districts of Panem, a project I had put blood, sweat, and tears into.

"We're planning to rebel and fight against the Capitol." Laz said bluntly. He was good at that.

"Oh."

"The Quarter Quell was kind of… the last straw."

"Oh." I walked back to my seat, pale. It was one thing to secretly suspect what was happening, and Sparc has made it sort of clear before we arrived, but once it was out in the open… it felt like an explosive compound ready to blow.

"You're sworn to secrecy." Vee snapped. Great girl, that Vee; she was just _so_ helpful.

"Okay." I thought about what I should do next.

"You don't have to come back if you don't want to." Sparc said to me. The other people there were murmuring amongst each other.

"I want to. I want to come back. I want to help." I said. I immediately slapped myself, in my mind.

_Are you _insane_? Sure, the Games are not nice, but this is your city! This is the Capitol! _I thought, scolding myself.

"Really!?" Vee and Sparc said at the same time, with the same amount of surprise in their voices.

I nodded and muttered something about dying not being a good thing and that people shouldn't be tortured. I was really tired, and when I was tired, I was pretty much useless. Delirious and useless.

They all stared at me.

For another hour, they plotted on planting bombs in the Gamemaker's HQ. I didn't do anything except ogle at the schematics/blueprints, and make horrified faces.

Sparc walked me home. The night was so quiet, it sounded like our footsteps would wake up the entire city.

"Are you sure you want to keep going to… you know…?" He asked me as we stood in front of our destination.

"Yeah," I said softly. My reasons and thoughts were all scattered, but I wanted to help. I wanted to push against the current of the Capitol and its people. I wanted to make a point and stop all of the dying, but also the disappearances. Up to my fifteen years, I've heard of people mysteriously disappearing and found dead later on, but some were never even found. I'd known people who'd disappeared, like my teacher in the fourth grade. She was very determined to get our class to visit the poorer Districts, but she wouldn't give the educational board a clear reason as to why. She told us that we needed to get to know our world properly, but none of us really understood what she meant.

However, a day later Mr. Pinnel entered the classroom instead of our previous teacher. We never dared ask about what happened to her, but right then I knew what really happened to our wonderful teacher.

Some people were recovered after a hovercar accident or things like that. Some were said to run off to the Wastelands.

But I was quite sure that my fourth grade teacher was no longer alive. Not after six years labeled 'Missing'.

"Well, thanks for coming." Sparc said softly, touching my shoulder before he walked away.

If I told Tammi about that moment, she would have been very pleased to hear that my shoulder tingled long after he was gone, even when I snuck back into my room, and when I fell asleep.

I, however, was denial with my shoulder.

_What an irritating boy._

"**Good-night, Good-night! Parting is such sweet sorrow."**


End file.
